1 In 5 Gen Z Healthcare Workers Are Considering Leaving The Industry

Reports indicate that over 20% of Gen Z healthcare workers are contemplating leaving the industry, raising concerns about the sustainability of a workforce already under strain. Soliant Health’s 2024 Healthcare Employment Trends Report cites workplace culture issues and limited advancement opportunities as primary concerns. The drain of talent from the healthcare industry is expected to result in a shortage of over 100,000 critical workers nationwide by 2028, according to a report by Mercer. Meanwhile, Forbes reports that employers in multiple industries have been quick to fire Gen Z employees en masse, citing performance and professionalism concerns.

What’s Missing for Gen Z, in Healthcare?

The healthcare industry has long faced criticisms for its high-pressure work environment, with burnout and dissatisfaction among professionals well-documented. In a study with over 13,000 respondents, conducted by UKG and Workplace Intelligence, 83% of Gen Z frontline healthcare employees report burnout. Qualtrics reports that, out of 27 industries in a recent study, healthcare ranked last for employee satisfaction with pay. Many younger workers cite toxic cultural dynamics, such as micromanagement, hierarchical structures, and lack of support from leadership, as significant contributors to dissatisfaction.

Driving Forces Behind the Gen Z Exodus from Healthcare

Several key factors explain why Gen Z workers are leaving, according to the survey results:

1. Work-Life Balance: Many Gen Z workers prioritize flexibility and mental health, yet the rigid schedules and high stress of healthcare roles often clash with these values.
2. Communication Challenges: Gen Z employees increasingly seek purpose-driven careers, and closing the loop on communication is crucial. Are new employees instructed on how to communicate (listening as well as speaking)? The practice of medicine is based on human interaction and communication, as well as science. Balancing patient needs inside an environment of mutual respect is the goal. The deskless workforce in healthcare is high-touch, with patient and co-worker interaction at the center of service delivery. Knowing how to build trust and collaborate is key, across all generations.
3. Conflict with Traditional Structures: Many younger employees feel out of sync with the hierarchical and rigid structures common in healthcare organizations, preferring collaborative and innovative environments.

Indeed, the structured hierarchy of the healthcare industry doesn’t always lend itself to collaboration and differing points of view. The surgeon in the operating room is not taking input from various individuals regarding the initial incision or final stitch. The pediatric dentist must use his or her unique expertise to make split-second decisions when a six-year-old child is squirming in the chair. Staff members support the procedure (they don’t get to comment or vote on it). Many front-line jobs in healthcare don’t lend themselves to a give-and-take relationship; the roles emphasize service and support.

Opportunities to Reach Gen Z in Healthcare

David Schreiner is the President and CEO of Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon, Illinois. He says, “Healthcare is more than just doctors and nurses. We have accountants and plumbers on staff, and the first thing we can do to attract and retain Gen Z is to create greater awareness of what it means to work in healthcare.” He advocates for early exposure to drive interest in healthcare, in junior high or high school, to educate students on possibility. “I’m a big fan of job shadowing. Bring people into the workplace, have them follow you, see for yourself what the day is like.” However, programs in radiology, nursing and other health-related fields are seeing declines in enrollment, with empty seats that remain unfilled. When feeder systems are shrinking: how can healthcare companies turn the tide, offering enticing opportunities?

In the past, Schreiner says, organizations would sponsor programs at colleges and universities with a “hook”: students could study for free in exchange for three years of dedicated service. Removing the hook – the required retention element – “is the rising tide for everybody,” he says.

Scheduling is a key concern for Gen Z, as mentioned above. “We have three shifts at KSB Hospital,” David explains. “We have a seven to three, we have a three to 11, we have 11 to seven. If you come to us and you say, ‘I wanna work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM because that allows me to drop my kids off at school’, we’re starting with ‘Yes’. Instead of saying, ‘We don’t have that shift’, we’re saying, ‘What can we do to make that work?’”

Gen Z in Theory vs. Practice

Albert Einstein famously said, “In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they are not.” In my experience, working with thousands of Gen Z students at the nation’s largest university and elsewhere, I see beyond the media punishment for Gen Z – where a September survey says that 60% of employers got rid of the majority of Gen Z hires, just months after they have started. My experience is different: there is a dedication and drive for the youngest generation in the workforce. We just need to design work so that talents and motivations are better expressed.

David Schreiner agrees. “I’m so impressed when I see people from Gen Z: they are brilliant. They wanna work hard. They’re excited about making our profession [healthcare] better. And anybody that says negative things about this group just hasn’t spent time with them.” Indeed, beyond the hype in the media, there is hope in healthcare. But without deeper understanding of workplace processes, and critical soft skills, Gen Z workers will not find success in healthcare – or other industries.

Why High Salaries Are Not Enough for Gen Z in Healthcare

A study from Vivian Health ranks healthcare as the most stressful career, perceived as stressful by 73% of respondents. For Gen Z, fulfillment, purpose, and a healthy work environment hold as much value as monetary compensation. Healthcare ranked last for “employee satisfaction with pay” compared to 27 other industries studied, according to the 2023 Healthcare Experience Trends Report from Qualtrics.

A Call for Change in Healthcare

Healthcare employers who want to attract and retain Gen Z may need to rethink:

• Onboarding and Training: Improved training programs that align with Gen Z’s learning preferences—interactive, tech-enabled, and purpose-driven—could foster a smoother transition into healthcare roles. Creating programs that go beyond task-based instruction can help Gen Z to understand the real demands of the work – because learning how to draw blood is not the same as doing it 200 times a week inside a busy medical center.
• Support Systems: Introducing mental health resources, mentoring opportunities, and mechanisms to address workplace grievances could reduce burnout and promote retention can help. Adaptable schedules, instead of lock-step shifts, can be a major plus (as Schreiner mentioned). Programs around the soft skills can complement scientific expertise, so that patients (and employees) don’t have to endure the pain of outdated management practices. And understanding how to recognize, diffuse and defend inside potentially violent situations is something that’s needed.
• Reimagining Leadership: How is your organization using coaching to explore new ways of interacting across generations? Shifting from a top-down leadership model to one that values inclusivity and collaboration could appeal to Gen Z’s expectations for workplace culture.

Gen Z’s potential exodus from healthcare serves as a wake-up call for an industry in need of transformation. Surveys show that it’s crucial to create value for employees, to retain top talent, and that awareness can drive interest and commitment to a career. By addressing improving support systems, rethinking training programs and modernizing workplace practices, healthcare organizations have an opportunity to not only retain young talent but also foster a workforce that is motivated and engaged. This pivotal moment for Gen Z may ultimately reshape healthcare for the better, ensuring long-term career viability in an ever-changing world.